


Powerless Hakurei Tales 09: Phantasmagoria of Flower View

by Carmichael_Micaalus



Series: Powerless Hakurei Tales [5]
Category: Touhou Project
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 18:26:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15734961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmichael_Micaalus/pseuds/Carmichael_Micaalus
Summary: Flowers from all around the year are blooming in Gensokyo, and half the nation is on the case!  Can Reimu solve this four-seasoned problem before Marisa snaps and drastically lowers the population?!





	Powerless Hakurei Tales 09: Phantasmagoria of Flower View

Phantasmagoria of Flower View

 

“Reimu.”

“Yes, auntie?”

Mima stared out the door, looking over the yard.  While few would ever describe the spirit as looking happy, it was obvious she was less than pleased with whatever she saw.  “Reimu, what was the one rule I laid down about planting flowers around here?”

The shrine maiden glanced at her sister; Marisa shrugged her shoulders.  The girl looked back at her aunt. “Um… not to overdo it?”

“That’s right.”  Stepping to the side, Mima turned to the two and held an arm out to the yard.  Reimu got up and approached as Marisa brought her plate of food with her.

Looking outside, countless red flowers spread across the yard, through the shrine grounds, and down the path.  While the yard was dominated by spider lilies, splashes of all colours of flowers could be seen mixed in as well.

“Now, if you don’t consider this ‘overdoing it’, well…”

“B-but I didn’t plant these, auntie!  I- I did plant _some_ , yes, but-”

“Sweetie,”  Mima sighed, “I’ve heard you singing to the plants…”

Marisa rolled her eyes, taking another bite of food.  “Ma, I don’t think Reimu’s capable of lying like that-”

“Look, she’s been hanging out with Yukari and the Lunarians a lot, she might be picking up bad habits!”

The red doll sitting on Reimu’s shoulder peered out at the plants.  “I’m not a master herbalist of earth, but aren’t half of those out of season?”

“-also, that’s been _you_ I’ve heard out here?”

Looking down, the shrine maiden spun a toe on the ground.  “Yes. Miss Lorelei said singing to plants help them grow.”

“...’hokay,” the magician finished off her breakfast, “first, we finish eating, then we find out what going on with these flowers…”

“Okay.”

“...and then we find you someone who isn’t tone deaf to teach you to sing.”

“Aw, I know I need more practice, but I didn’t think I was singing _that_ bad…”

“No-no; you need a little work, yeah, but I meant Mystia.”

The shrine maiden gasped.  “Marisa! Don’t be rude!”

“Kids, if we could focus…”

“The same thing happened a long time ago!” A voice called out from the roof.  Turning around, they could see Cirno the ice fairy perched on the ledge, one arm drawn back.

“What do you-”

Mima’s question was interrupted by a snowball to the face.

The lich sighed.

 

“So… about 60 years ago, something like this happened; that’s what you’re saying?”  Mima asked after sipping her tea. Marisa and Ruukoto cleaned the table as Cirno popped her shoulder back into socket.  Behind the ice fairy, Reimu packed snow into the crystal wings, condensing them back down to six crystals.

“Yep!”  She smiled, swinging her arm around to feel the full motion once again.  “I remember seeing _all_ these flowers everywhere and I went to Keine and asked ‘hey, what’s happening? Why are all these flowers about? I never see them together like this normally!’ and she said ‘stop interrupting my class, Cirno, that’s super rude.’ And then _I_ said ‘what’s that have to do with the flowers? I’m not talking about being rude, Keine!’ and then she headbutted me, and I don’t remember anything after that.”

“Riveting.”  The lich sighed.  Cirno folded her arms.

“Anyway, why don’t you remember that? Aren’t you super old and stuff?  You’re always screaming that at me or something.”

“I spent the better part of the last century staring at a wall in a cave.”  She turned to her daughter. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but… put a stop to it, please.”

“Why were you in a cave?”  The ice fairy asked; she flinched as Reimu touched the last ice crystal to her back, restoring her wings.

“ _Before_ my allergies start up.  You… you know how cranky I get when my head’s all clogged up, Marisa.”

“Hey…!  Answer me…!”

“I know, Ma.”  Marisa grinned.  “Do you-”

“I’m a spirit, Marisa.  It makes no godsdamned sense that I _have_ allergies.”

“I know Ma.  Do you have any-”

“But I get them.  You’ve _seen_ what they do to me.”

Marisa touched her forehead as she tried to keep from laughing.  The ice fairy began to climb on the table. “Don’t ignore me…!”

“Please sit down, Miss Cirno.”  Reimu whispered as she pulled her back, sitting the girl next to her.

“If I have the pollen of the four seasons hit me-”

“Ma!”  The magician finally grabbed her mother by the shoulders, grinning broadly.  “Do you know where to start with this!? I’d love to help, but all I got is ‘a bunch of flowers’ and ‘happened 60 years ago’.  Anything else I could go on?”

“No.  Just- go talk to Yuuka.”  Mima shrugged. Letting go, Marisa leaned back and groaned.  “I know you don’t like talking to her-”

“ _Ugggh…_ ”

“-cause ya learned her spells and she thinks that’s stealing-”

“Even Patchouli got over that!”

“Yes, well, Patche doesn’t huff _pollen_ all day, so-”

Marisa waved her hand.  “Arright, arright, arright…”  She sighed once more. “Reimu, go get ready to leave.  Ruukoto… go wake up Suika.”

“Okay!”

“As You Wish.”

“So why were you in a-” Before Cirno could finish crawling across the table once more, the magician grabbed the ice fairy by the wing.  “Ack! H-hey, those are attached to me…!”

“I know.”  Marisa pulled the girl back and sat her down on the far side of Mima.  “Don’t bug Ma anymore right now. You _know_ she can get nastier than just popping your arms out.”

“Well duh!” Cirno rolled her eyes.  “It was an _arm_ and a _leg_ , Marisa!”

“Legs are just arms you walk on.”

The ice fairy opened her mouth before pausing and frowning.  She scratched her chin as she tried to find fault with the magician’s logic.  Marisa’s thoughts on whether or not she began to smell smoke as the fairy tried to think were interrupted as Reimu came running back in, beaming.

“I’m ready!”  She announced.  The doll on her shoulder gave a nod.

“And I’m awake.”  The small oni yawned as the robotic maid held her by the horns.  “Whaddaya want?”

“I want you to disperse the pollen from the shrine.”  Marisa ordered as she stood up, fetching her hat and broom.  Once more, she grabbed the ice fairy before she could accost her mother.  The maid set Suika down.

“Why?”

“And keep it dispersed.”  Throwing Cirno over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Marisa made for the door.

“Why?!”

The magician paused in the doorway, looking back at the oni.  “‘Cause you’ve been crashing here without doing shit! Do what I ask of ya, or I’m going to melt down Cirno and shove her in your gourd!”

“Marisa!”  Reimu frowned up at her.

“Hey, don’t use my impervious might to carry out your threats!”  The ice fairy punched her in the back; the magician paid her no mind.

“And then whenever you want a drink, you’ll have to go to the alcohol fairy.”

“Okay wait, that sounds kinda cool.”  Cirno thought aloud. “Actually yeah, let’s do this!”

“Guh!  Fine! Fine, fuckin’ slave driver…”  Suika sighed and gripped her head, still attempting to wake up,  “threatenin’ me like that…”

“At any rate, we’re off, Ma.  Take care and with any luck, we’ll be back soon.”

The lich gave a single wave as the group left.  As the door slid shut, she glanced over at her oni companion.

“Allergies arready buggin’ ya?”  Suika asked, suppressing another yawn.  Mima blew her nose, saturating the unfortunate tissue with drainage.

“Never cared for the Spring even when living.”

“Don’t act like you remember that far back.”

“Don’t act like you remember yesterday.”

“So…” Suika took a fork from Ruukoto as the maid set a plate for her, “if you’re already that bad, should I even bother to keep the pollen away?  I mean… you’re pretty much boned no matter what happens now, right?”

Another tissue served its purpose.  “Pretty sure I have enough snot in my nose to drown the sake bug in your gourd.”

The little oni quickly pulled her gourd into her own lap, glaring at the spirit.  “Fucking hell, leave my gourd alone! Godsdamned magicians…”

 

* * *

 

“So where we goin’?”

Marisa sighed.  On a good day, she could get along pretty well with Cirno.  The self-proclaimed ‘Strongest’ ice fairy could verbally take as well as she could dish out, and the magician liked that in a person.  However, she did take umbrage with the fairy’s highly selective memory and oftentimes found herself wondering why her sister tolerated the little iceball so.

“We’re going to see Lady Kazami, Miss Cirno!”  Reimu informed her fairy friend once again. The magician smiled to herself; she was glad her sister could handle Cirno so well.

“Why?”

“Because she’s a flower youkai, and she might know what’s causing this!”

“Eh, it’s probably her.”  Cirno scratched her nose. “I mean, flowers running amok, flower youkai… case closed, let’s go back to the shrine.”

“W-well, even if it _is_ her, we still need to talk to her about it.  Maybe she needs to get our attention for something.”

Marisa choked back a snort; she was fairly certain the flower youkai would likely let herself die than call for help from anyone.  Keeping a firm grip on her tongue, she spotted two familiar figures on the fringes of the sunflower field.

“Ah!”  Sakuya smiled.  “Reimu, Marisa; I suppose I should have expected to see the two of you about.”

Youmu bowed as the magician pulled up alongside them.

“Hey you two; how’s it going?”

“We’re well.”  The maid gave a slight bow to Reimu’s enthusiastic wave before holding a hand out towards Youmu.  “Our respective masters asked us to investigate the strange occurrence with the flowers, so we decided to team up together.”

“Aaah, and how _is_ Remi-Remms doing?”  A grin spread across the magician’s face.  “Is she still sour about you two leaving in the middle of their battle?”

The maid glanced away as the gardener blushed.  “Only when incidents arise…” She answered, a ghost of a smile on her face.  “At any rate, Magister Patchouli pointed us in this direction, but there’s a feeling of… danger here.

“Miss Youmu!”  Reimu smiled as she took the gardener’s hands.  “Have you ever been to the Garden of the Sun before?”

“Oh!  No, I haven’t.”

“It’s a really neat place!  Here, let me show you this over here real quick…”

As the shrine maiden talked to Youmu about the sunflower field, Marisa drifted closer to Sakuya; she gave the maid a leering grin.  “So, I heard you two hit it off…?”

Smiling herself, Sakuya shook her head and sighed.  “I guess you oversaw us that night. Yes, we’re… together.”

“Have you-?”

Sakuya glanced off to the side.  “Destroyed my bedframe and mattress that very night.”

“Hah!  H-holy shit, yo!”  The magician glanced at her sister; she continued to talk to the gardener, out of earshot.  “I bet Remilia wasn’t happy when she finally made it back, eh?”

“Oooh no.”  She folded her arms and grinned as she thought back to the extended night of the previous year.  “The very fact I had abandoned her angered her. To find it was for a ‘romantic rendezvous’ made it worse.  And then to find out who it was _with_ ?”  Sakuya chuckled softly.  “She wouldn’t leave her room for _days_.”

“Cripes, what is she, a chi-” The glint of Hourai’s shield caught Marisa’s eye.  Pulling the maid to the side, a blast of danmaku tore across the air, narrowly missing them all.  Moving next to her sister and Youmu in a heartbeat, Marisa could hear the doll let out a string of curses as she consumed another crystal.

With no other attack approaching, the magician blinked and glanced around.

“...where’s Cirno?” She finally asked.

“Found her.”  The ice fairy called from deep in the flower field, a storm of energy following behind.  “Can we go home now? Pretty sure I just solved this for you; it wasn’t hard ‘cause I’m so strong.”

“...found who?”  Sakuya asked.

“Yuuka.”  Marisa sighed, eyes on the approaching disaster.

“I’ve _told_ you to leave the flowers alone, Cir-” The approaching green-haired woman announced before seeing the others.  “Ah. I didn’t realize you had company.” Her eyes fell on the magician, narrowing.

“Friend of yours?” The maid asked, a fan of knives in her hand.  Youmu’s sword was drawn, a hand on Reimu’s shoulder. Before the magician could answer, the shrine maiden smiled and waved.

“Good morning, Lady Kazami!”  She smiled and approached. “It’s good to see you again!”

“Ah… and a good morning to you as well, little Hakurei.”

“Let me introduce you to my friends!”  Grabbing the flower youkai’s sleeve, Reimu turned and pointed.  “This is Miss Sakuya, she’s from the Scarlet Devil Mansion down by the lake, and that’s Miss Youmu!  She lives in the afterlife, and she’s a super good gardener! I was showing her how good you take care of the sunflowers!”  The shrine maiden held out her hand to the green-haired woman. “This is Lady Kazami! She takes care of this entire~ sunflower field!”

“Well met, Lady.”  Sakuya gave a bow, knives still in hand.

“It’s a very beautiful field, Lady Kazami.”  Youmu gave a nod; though she sheathed her sword, her hand remained resting on the hilt.

“It’s nice to meet all of you.”  Yuuka glanced at the magician once more.  “Most of you.” Her eyes fell on the glaring doll.  “Some of you.” Her oddly pleasant smile returned. “At any rate, I can guess why you-”

The flower youkai was interrupted by a snowball to the face.

“Boom!  Saved Gensokyo!”  Cirno pumped her fist.  “Y’all can thank me later at the party in my honor.”

The blob of snow fell from Yuuka’s face; a single red eye opened.  Marisa drifted away from the ice fairy as Hourai tugged Reimu away from the owner of the flower field.

Yuuka’s smile turned to a grin.

 

“You know, as soon as I saw all these flowers, I just _knew_ someone was going to come and blame me.”  Yuuka sighed.

“We- we’re not blaming you, Lady Kazami…” Reimu assured her.  Sakuya and Youmu gathered up the last of the snow and ice, bringing it to the magician.

“‘Why do you want to research a spell to transmute ice to flesh?’” Marisa muttered in a tone similar to Patchouli’s as she flipped through her spell book.  “‘Cause sometimes the people I know are fuckin’ dumb, Patche. ‘Then why bother with such cretins?’ ‘Cause I know people who like the dumb people, Patche.”

“Less gabbin’, more castin’!”  The ice fairy piped up, waiting for the lower half of her body to be reconstituted.

“If I just started over and put a pinecone right around where her head will come back, she might be a little smarter…”

“Hey, don’t ignore me!”

As the others busied themselves with helping Cirno after losing her match against Yuuka, Reimu returned to her task at hand.  “A-at any rate, Miss Cirno said something like this happened about sixty years ago, do you know anything about it, or what’s happening?  Anything you could tell us would be greatly appreciated.”

“Hm…”  Yuuka put a finger to her lips and thought for a moment before turning to Reimu.  “And why should I?” She smiled. “After all, all _I’ve_ received from this is uninvited guests and harassment.”

“You’re more than welcome to come to the shrine for the party afterward!  Mima and Ruukoto would really like-”

“Oh come now, Reimu…”  The flower youkai sighed, drifting closer.  “You know that’s an empty gesture. I’m _not_ going back there.”

“Guessing there’s a bit of history between everyone?”  Sakuya murmured as Marisa finished her work on the ice fairy.  She brushed herself off as she stood.

“You know how your master is still all pissy about a thing that happened months ago?”  She asked in response. “A thing that she kinda propagated herself? Old youkai tend to hold grudges, even over stupid shit.”  The magician nodded in Yuuka’s direction. “She’s an old youkai.”

“So what happened?”  The maid pressed on. Marisa’s eyes narrowed; she found herself unhappy with the lack of distance between her sister and the flower youkai.

“...I learned a spell from her.”  The magician muttered, readying her focus.  “And she didn’t like that.”

Unaware of the others unease, Reimu looked up at Yuuka, her face forlorn.  “Please, Lady Kazami… we all miss you. I want to help you work past this problem with my sister so we can see one another more often.”

“How kind.  But what makes you think I-”  As the flower youkai reached out to hold Reimu’s chin, a flash of red light sparked out, stopping her hand.

Hourai lowered her hand, her eyes locked on Yuuka’s face.

“Don’t.  Touch. The kid.”

Yuuka’s smile slowly split into a thin grin.  “Aaah, that _is_ you, Hourai, I didn’t recognize you.  I suppose it’s understandable though, given the last time I saw you, you were lying broken on the city streets of the capital.”

The doll continued to stare, her gaze unwavering.  “And the last time I saw _you, you_ were bleeding out of a hole in your gut the size of your head in the throne room.”

A chill spread across the Garden of the Sun.

“Mother doesn’t need her book to do that to you anymore, and Gran’s not here to sa-”

“Hourai,” Reimu interrupted, her voice quavering, “that’s enough, please.”

Sighing, Hourai leaned back and held the collar for support once more, whispering an apology to the shrine maiden.

“...I am sorry for causing you distress, Lady Kazami.”  Reimu bowed, sniffing her nose. “We shall leave you be.”

“I believe that would be for the best,” Yuuka turned away, her smile gone, “I’m no longer in the mood for guests.”

“Come on Reimu,” Marisa called as the flower youkai drifted away, “we can come back and deal with her after-”

“I don’t recall giving you permission to speak while in my garden, thief.” Yuuka interrupted, turning back towards the magician.  Marisa’s eye twitched.

“You’re useless to me, Yuuka.  Be silent.” She turned back to her sister.  “Let’s go; we can meet up with Patche and she’ll help with some divinat-”

Yuuka reached out towards Reimu.  The mini-hakkero appeared inches from the youkai’s face.

Silence spread over the field of flowers as everyone froze in place.  Yuuka’s smug grin returned as she looked at the cold fury on Marisa’s face.

“...still quick.”  She finally whispered.  “But do you think you’re quick enough to keep her from the crossfire?”

“I… don’t… need to be.”  The magician snarled.  In the blink of an eye, the shrine maiden disappeared.

“What the-”  As Yuuka turned to where Reimu used to be, Marisa leaned back and kicked her in the chest.

“We are settling this **now**.”  A fan of cards spread out in the magician’s free hand.  The flower youkai’s parasol spun back around to give her shade, twirling gently.  Yuuka’s grin widened as her pupil’s contracted.

“As you wish, _child_.  Don’t cry when-”

“Wizard Sign…!” Orbs of light spun around Marisa as she held up the card; the trigrams of her leveled focus began to glow.  “ **TILTOWAIT!** ”

 

* * *

 

Secure in the maid’s arms, Reimu watched with a trembling lip as the mushroom cloud of danmaku spread across the Garden of the Sun.  Youmu reached over and pet the shrine maiden as everyone watched the fight in progress.

“...sorry I made things worse, Reimu.”  Hourai whispered. The girl sniffed her nose in response.

“It seems a lot of people have history with her…” Sakuya noted, drifting back as the fierce battle continued to heat up.

“D-down… down to the sunflowers.”  Reimu instructed, noticing the movement.  “Lady Kazami won’t let them be hurt, so we’ll be safe there.

“So,” Youmu started as they moved to safety, “I’ll understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but… what is her beef with Marisa?  She said something about a spell?”

The shrine maiden continued to watch the fight, her eyes glossy.  Sakuya could feel the girl tense up with every traded blow between the two combatants.

“W-we… we met Lady Kazami for the first time long ago.”  She paused as the maid handed her a tissue. “Marisa and Auntie Mima could feel an incredible surge of power.  We followed it and… and we found a portal to where she was. We fought her once, and then again a bit later.”

The group turned as they heard rustling nearby.  A pair of bunny ears emerged from the sunflowers.

“Yeah… I _thought_ I’d find you here.”  Tewi Inaba sighed. Knocking fists with Youmu, the bunny drifted over to the released shrine maiden, keeping her eyes on the chaos above.  “Did I hear you say you know Yuuka Kazami?”

“Y-yes;” Reimu nodded and bowed, “hello Miss Tewi.”

She sighed.  “Of course you do.  All you know are the most fucking frightening _things_ in Gensokyo.”  The bunny shook her head and sighed.  “And you’re probably best buds with- oh, you look sad.”

“S-sorry.”

“Don’t-”  Tewi sighed once more, her shoulders slumping.  “Anyway, here to solve the incident? I’m assuming Yuuka’s up to it?”

“Yes- er, I mean-!” The petite shrine maiden began to trip over her own words attempting to correct herself.  “Um! N-no, she- she’s not, I mean yes,we’re trying to-”

“Arright, arright!”  Tewi pat the girl on the back.  “You’re solving it, she didn’t do it, gotcha.  Breathe, Reimu!”

“ _Tewi._ ”  A stern voice called out from directly behind her.  The group flinched as one, turning to see Reisen. The stone-faced rabbit glanced at the others as a hand clamped down on her companion’s shoulder.  Her gaze faltered as she saw Reimu. “Oh, hey kid. Didn’t see ya there… everything alright?”

“It’s _not_  alright, Miss Reisen!”  Her tears began to well up once more.  “Everyone wants to fight today, and it’s- it’s very upsetting!”

“Aw…!” Keeping a firm grip on Tewi, Reisen held her other arm open, trying to suppress her laughter at the sight of the pitiful shrine maiden.  “Come- come ‘ere, Reimu…”

Floating over, Reimu buried face against the commander as she received a one-armed hug.  Reisen’s fingers dug into her companion’s shoulder as she tried to break free.

“Tewi…”  Reisen whispered.

“Ow ow ow-”

“...why did you disappear?”

“You’re not my mom- OW!”  A pained grin crossed the bunny’s face as the vice-grip squeezed harder.  “I just- wanted to get away from… you know. And… this seemed interesting.”

Reisen sighed and let go, devoting both arms to comforting the shrine maiden.  “Please leave a note next time. You _know_ how the bunnies get when you vanish like that.”

“Yeah, okay, fair.”  She grinned sheepishly, rubbing her freed shoulder.  “Sorry ‘bout that.”

“Trouble at home, Miss… Reisen, was it?”  The chief maid asked. The rabbit gave her a blank look in response.

“O-oh, sorry-” Reluctantly breaking away from the commander, Reimu began introductions.  “Miss Izayoi, Miss Cirno, this is Miss Tewi and Miss Reisen; they live at Eientei in The Bamboo Forest of the Lost; Miss Reisen’s a very good doctor!  Miss Reisen, Miss Tewi, this is Miss Izayoi; she works in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. And this is Miss Cirno, she’s-”

“I’m the strongest.”  The ice fairy folded her arms and shrugged.  “I’m kind of a badass, so… just so you know.”

“-she’s the strongest Ice Fairy.”

“I had Yuuka on the ropes, but I guess Marisa wanted to give her a fighting chance or something.”  The ice fairy looked back up at the battle. “Why are they fighting, anyway?”

“Well, when… we met Lady Kazami for the second time, Marisa said if she won, she was going to learn some of Lady Kazami’s power.  After that fight, she began to visit Auntie at the shrine, and she ended up tagging along when we went to Makai.” She went quiet as she watched the fight, flinching as her sister finished her attack with a string of bombs.  “That- that’s when Lady Kazami found out what Marisa learned.”

“What was it?”  Sakuya asked.

“Holy-!” Youmu pointed.  The group watched as Yuuka duplicated herself and pointed at the magician.  The all too familiar buzz of Marisa’s signature attack was amplified twice over by the flower youkai’s Dual Spark.

“Wait… wait.”  Reisen’s eye twitched as she watch the spell card go off.  The magician was nowhere to be seen as the lasers dispersed.  “You mean to tell me… the  _Master Spark_ is a **copy?!** ”

“It- it has her own touches to it, but…” The shrine maiden eventually nodded, keeping her eye on her sister; a task Yuuka tried desperately to do herself.  “That… that is who she received the inspiration from. Lady Kazami, sh-she… was less than happy to find out.”

“She’s just pissed Marisa casts it better.”  Hourai muttered.

“Have your own problems with her?”  Youmu asked. The doll’s answer was cut off as Marisa body-checked her opponent, using the speed boost from her mini-hakkero to blindside her.  In a flash, the two crashed into the ground right outside of the field of sunflowers, leaving a long scar in the grass.

“Im- impressive,” Yuuka coughed, pushing herself up “but d-”

Her words were interrupted by a boot to the throat.  Choking, the flower youkai’s defenses fell as the magician leapt up, delivering a fist to the temple with lightning speed.  Years of boiling rage surfaced on Marisa’s face as she rained punches down on her falling opponent, keeping her from getting an opening.

With a flick of the wrist, the mini-hakkero appeared in Marisa’s hand; she slammed the focus against Yuuka’s chest and leaned close.

“ **LOVE!  SIGN!** ”  She screamed. Yuuka’s eyes widened; Marisa clamped her free hand over her opponent’s mouth.  “ **MASTER SPARK!!!** ”

 

* * *

 

“This feud is fucking over, do you understand?”

“Of course, Marisa~”

“And if you ever try to harm Reimu again-”

The shrine maiden continued to treat the wounds Yuuka had suffered through the battle.  While the spell card rules prevented truly dangerous wounds from taking full effect, it was clear the two powerhouses pushed the boundaries of what could get through.

While flesh and bone were protected to a degree, clothing was considerably less so.  Reisen used the bandaging from her medical kit to give the flower youkai a sarashi, affording her some decency.

Yuuka chuckled.  “Do you honestly think I ever actually _tried_ to-”

“I’m sorry, do I look like I’m interested in hearing your bullshit?”  Marisa leaned closer. “I’m not going to bother threatening you on this because if you ever harm her, I can’t even guarantee that I’ll be  _the first to reach you_.”  Straightening up, the magician shook her head and huffed.

“Who else _would_ be likely to get to her first, Miss Kirisame?”  The crow tengu asked, her pen poised above her notepad.  Annoyed by the interruption, she grit her teeth and pulled a hand back.

“Aya, I’ve fucking told you before _not to call me-_ ”  Marisa paused and blinked before turning to the reporter.  Aya Shameimaru, crow tengu of Youkai Mountain, smiled back.  “...the fuck are you doing here? _When_ did you get here?!”

“Oh, during your battle.  I got some wonderful pictures, it’ll look great for the Bunbunmaru News tomorrow!  At any rate…” She tapped her notebook once more, “in the event of… unfortunate circumstances occurring between Miss Hakurei and Lady Kaz…am…” Her words drifted off as she glanced back up, noticing the looks from most of those surrounding her.

The tengu cleared her throat.

“...how is the Incident Resolution going, Miss Kirisame?”  Aya smiled brightly.

Marisa plucked a feather from her wing before she could fold it away.

“Reimu, if you could…” Marisa took over wound dressing as her sister talked to the reporter; she remained quiet as she tried to gather her thoughts.

“Anything else~?”  Yuuka smiled sweetly.  The magician’s eyes flicked up to her for a moment before returning to her work at hand.

“...no.  Those are the two things I expect out of you for my victory:  drop this feud, and never harm Reimu.”

“Oh, and here I thought you’d like information…”

“I’ll give _you_ a tidbit of info…” Reisen grunted as she tore the bandaging, tucking the end into the rest to keep it from unraveling.  “Don’t wear a bra into battle. All that’s going to happen is you’ll just break it faster than normal and you’ll have to wait forever for the next one to be made.”

The flower youkai chuckled.  “I don’t think that’s information that’s… applicable to her.”

Most of her work done, Reisen retrieved her pipe and gave the contents a cursory glance.  “That’s good, ‘cause I was talking to _you._ ”

Marisa returned their glances at her chest with a flat stare.  “Yuuka, I’m a magician. If I want big tits again, they’re a spell away.”  She shook her head and sighed. “At any rate, that’s not why I fought you. I wanted that shit done and over with.”

She shrugged.  “Well, if you wish for such things not to occur so often, maybe you should be a little more careful on what you steal from people… but I suppose that’s in the past.”

Finishing off what was in the pipe, Reisen tapped out the ashes before putting it away.  “Marisa, is she going on about something actually stolen, or is this still about you copying the Master Spark?”

“Still the spell card,” The magician sighed, “the only other things she has that I’d consider stealing I can grow myself.”

“Oh, so you’re a goddamn prima donna, of fucking _course_.”  Reisen shook her head and sighed.  Tewi’s head snapped in her companion’s direction.  “God monsters are _always…_ ”

Yuuka slowly turned to face her.  “And who do you think you are, to talk to me in such a fashion…?”

“First warning, final warning:  do _not_ try to stare me down.”  She reached for her pipe once more before remembering the lack of contents.  Gritting her teeth, she glanced back in Yuuka’s direction. “At any rate, my name is Reisen; ex-military.”

“Ah, a jarhead.”  The flower youkai stood, the top of her head level with the rabbit’s nose.  “And what makes you think you can call-”

“Have you ever tried to copy someone else’s spell card?”  Reisen interrupted. “Ever?”

“No, such things are beneath me.”

“Gods, I’m going to pull my eyes from rolling them too hard.”  Turning to the others, Reisen let out a sharp whistle. “Show of hands, folks!  Who here has tried copying another’s spell card before?”

Marisa and Reimu raised their hand, Reisen’s already in the air.  After a moment, her lip curled.

“...come on, you fucking liars.  Be honest.”

A few sighs resounded as more hands slowly went up.  Only two people continued to keep their hands down.

“Oh look, you hold something else in common with Cirno.”  Reisen smirked, taking a step out of arm’s reach of Yuuka.  She turned her attention back to the crowd. “Arright, good.  Now! Show of hands: Who has had _any luck_ with copying spell cards?”

All hands fell, save for Marisa’s.  She looked back at the flower youkai.

“Do you get it now?  Copying a spell card is impossible.  No one can do it… except for Marisa.”  She waited a moment. “No, I don’t know how she does it; it’s her thing.”

“Technically, she copied it before the spell card-”

“Technically I don’t give a fuck, and judging by what you agreed to, _you don’t either_.  But don’t worry, it’s a big world…” She glanced back towards the group, noticing the tengu putting her notebook away, “...you’ll find something else inane to focus your hate on soon enough.”

Yuuka grabbed her shoulder.  Reisen looked her directly in the eye.

“I- urg…”  Her grip weakened as the world began to spin violently.

“I warned you.”  She hissed, grabbing her as the others approached.

“Is everything-?” Reimu started.  The commander pulled one of Yuuka’s arms over her shoulder, keeping her upright.

“We’re fine.  I’ll escort her home, make sure she gets there okay; I know that was a tough battle for all.”

“O-okay, thank you.”  Reimu bowed to the two.  “Thank you very much; I’m sorry for bothering you, Lady Kazami.  We shall take our leave.”

“I remember the event your little ice fairy was talking about.”  The flower youkai started, making the group pause. “There was a war outside, long ago.”

“Big one?”  Marisa asked.

“Oh yes.  The whole world was involved.”

“...were- were you-?”

“No, I wasn’t the cause of it.”

“Just checking.”

“Fair enough~” She smiled, keeping her eyes closed.  “At any rate, flowers began to bloom wildly here, much… for the same reason.”  Yuuka glanced in the direction she had seen Youmu last. “Tell me, how has work been in the afterlife?  A little dead, perhaps?”

Marisa covered her face and groaned.

“I… suppose.”  Youmu answered, scratching her chin.  “I focus mostly on the gardening, but… now that you mention it, I think there have been fewer spirits about over the past day or two.”

“Mm-hm.  That’s why the flowers are blooming… the dead have nowhere to go, or more accurately… no way to get to the other side, so the souls hide in the flowers.”  The flower youkai informed them. She opened one eye, only to shut it after realizing her equilibrium was still on break. “Last time, it was because too many were arriving at once; only so many souls could go at a time.  This time… who can say? But if you find the crossing to the afterlife, then you may learn what you need in order to solve this.”

“Thank you very much, Lady Kazami!”  Reimu bowed once more. “We shall do as you suggest.”

“The entrance we use…” Marisa started, looking at the gardener, “that’s more of a ‘back door’, isn’t it?  That’s not typically how souls pass on, right?”

“That’s correct.”  Youmu nodded, the group got ready to leave as the shrine maiden directed Reisen to the flower youkai’s house.  “The path they should be drawn towards is through the Sanzu River.”

“Tewi, stick with Reimu please.”  The commander asked as she took to the air.  “It’ll make it easier to track you after I drop off Miss Short ‘n Stacked here.”

“Sure thing; see you in a bit.”

“Take care, Reimu…” Yuuka called out as they went their separate directions.  “I’ll see you at the party later.”

 

* * *

 

“Fucking-!”  Marisa caught her focus as the spell fizzled once more.  She rubbed her temples as the broom slowed down, the rest of the group eventually slowing as well.

Since leaving the Garden of the Sun, the magician had begun tracking the pull of the afterlife, feeling out the way to the Sanzu River.  Like many intangible planes, the path to Higan had a physical location in Gensokyo; one only needed to know when and where it would appear next to travel there in person.

Divination and tracking were not well studied schools of Marsia’s magical knowledge.  She was well aware of their benefits, and she was more than capable of casting such spells, but for her they were best cast at home, where she could take greater advantage of tools to help with the precision necessary to make the magic most effective.  Tools… and silence.

“Are we stopping again?” Cirno asked.

“Cirno,” She grit her teeth,  “I made those legs and by the gods, I can _unmake them_ _much quicker-!_ ”

“‘Cause we’re never going to solve this if you keep getting distracted and losing your place.”  The ice fairy looked around. “Where are we going?” She asked once more.

“Settle down, Cirno.”  Sakuya ordered, taking in their surroundings.

“You’re not the boss of me.”

“You know that’s just going to make her go off again, maid.”  Tewi interjected, staying close to the middle of the group. Aya’s eyes darted between the members of the group before scribbling a few things in her notebook, keeping her professional smile on the entire time.  From the back of the broom, the shrine maiden could see her sister start to shake with anger. She touched the magician’s shoulder before pausing, tilting her head.

“Does anyone else hear that?”  She asked, causing the others to go silent.  The cool wind brought the faint melody of piano keys, creating an ethereal tune to go with a heartfelt singing.

“That… sounds like Lyrica.”  Youmu murmured.

Ducking under the pointy witch hat, the shrine maiden wrapped her arms around her sister’s shoulders.  “You wanna check that out?” She whispered. Marisa let out a grunt and nodded.

 

As the amoeba-shaped group moved as one once more, the sound began to grow louder, more clear.  The singing became more distinct as they approached a clearing, finding the youngest Prismriver sister and the sparrow youkai Mystia playing to no one in particular.  The two looked up as the group landed, the spectral pianist looking less than pleased.

“...afternoon, Miss Konpaku.”  She nodded to the gardener.

“Hello!”  Reimu smiled as she approached.  “Sorry for interrupting your performance, but we heard you playing and we were hoping we could take a short break and listen to your music!  Would that be okay?”

The group glanced at the shrine maiden, unaware of the apparently planned break.  Marisa smiled weakly to herself.

“Sure!”  Mystia smiled, spinning around while holding her microphone.  The poltergeist’s flat gaze moved over to the sparrow.

“Um… is everything alright, Miss Lyrica?”  Reimu asked, growing concerned. The pianist sighed.

“No… just wasn’t expecting to end up with an audience while trying to do some solo work, but…”  She glanced back over at the bird; Mystia continued to shimmy back and forth while chirping tunes to herself.  “...wasn’t expecting for this to turn into a duo, either.”

“W-well, after we resolve the incident, you’re more than welcome to come over to the shrine if you’d like!”  The shrine maiden approached, smiling. “You wouldn’t have to play if you don’t want to!”

Lyrica let out a laugh and sighed.  “Don’t- you don’t need to worry… but thanks.”

“There’s an incident?”  Mystia asked.

“Yeah!  Something’s happened that’s made all the flowers bloom!  It’s um… it’s causing problems back home.”

“I see, I see…” The night sparrow held an arm out to the crowd, “well we~ shall entertain you~ during your lunch break~”

As everyone took a seat, Reimu began giving everyone food from her satchel.  With their attention on the music, Reimu quietly pulled Tewi over to Marisa, still standing away from the group.

“Miss Tewi, do you have any cloths for cleaning in your medical kit?”  She asked quietly as she sat down.

“Sure, here…”

Soaking the rag in water, Reimu rang out the cloth before looking up at her sister and patting her lap.

“Thanks, Reimu.”  Making use of Reimu’s lap pillow, Marisa laid down as her sister draped the cold cloth over her eyes and forehead.  “Still need more practice if that’s all it takes to wipe me out…”

“Well, as Auntie says, ‘that’s what it means to be human’.”  She kept her volume low, evading the other’s attention. “Rest now… you did well.”

“The fact that you not only faced Yuuka-” Tewi started, looking at the magician, “ _Yuuka Kazami,_ one of the scariest youkai in Gensokyo, beat her, and could still _walk away_ from the encounter, that’s pretty fuckin’ good, you know.”

“Heh!”  For the first time since leaving the sunflower field, Marisa grinned.  “Maybe, but it doesn’t do me any good if the next person to fight me can hand me my ass right now, you know?”

“I suppose,” The bunny nodded.  “You just need to be careful with who knows… that…” Her words trailed off as Hourai hopped off of Reimu’s shoulder and moved onto Tewi’s.  She instinctively tried to lean away, but to no avail. “Please don’t threaten me again.”

The doll grinned as she turned towards the bunny’s face.  “You understand the amount of trust they’re giving you right now… right?”  It was easy for the doll to keep her voice as quiet as a sigh, allowing only Tewi to hear her.

“Better than her, probably.”

The doll snorted, still grinning.  “Yeah, fair… fair.”

The three watched the magician for a moment.  Tewi glanced at the doll once more. “How long does it take for her to recover her strength?”

“Not long… she can usually spin her wheels for a bit after a fight to catch her breath, but with Yuuka… well, she knew better than to ever let her guard down around her.  She didn’t exactly hold back anything, either.”

“Mm… and I’m guessing she didn’t want to rest in front of the others, either.”  Her ears twitched as she focused on the rest of their group; everyone still had their attention on the music and food.

“Mostly the reporter, but yeah.”  The doll sighed. “At any rate… thank you for the assistance.”

“They’re good kids…” Tewi smiled as Hourai hopped back over to the shrine maiden.  “Even if the magician has sticky fingers from time to time…”

Bringing a hand up to steady the doll, Reimu kept her attention on her sister.  She smiled softly as she felt the change in the air; though she could not see it, the shrine maiden was familiar with the subtle flow as Marisa drew from the ambient mana of the world.

“...everything alright?”  Reisen asked as she knelt next to her companion, her voice only slightly louder than her arrival.  The three turned her way while the magician continued to keep her attention inward.

“Yes, welcome back, Miss Reis-” Reimu paused as she looked over the commander; new scuffs and tears in her clothing were apparent.  The rabbit grinned.

“Sorry Reimu, but she wasn’t the type to let me walk away after talking to her the way I did.”  She ruffled the shrine maiden’s hair. “For what it’s worth, it was only a 1-card battle, and we have a much better understanding of one another.”

“Th-that’s- that’s good, then.”  She nodded, looking back down at her sister.  “I know some people need to work out their problems like that… and while I may not like it, I can’t deny it really does help them.”

The sound of music filled the air as they sat there, wind rustling the grass.  The shrine maiden looked up at the commander once more.

“Everyone’s different.  As long as people use the spell card rules and don’t hold grudges, then… then that’s good.  I can accept that. Just please be careful. That’s all I ask.”

“Of course, kiddo.”

“Now that you’re back…” Tewi growled in a low tone, “ why did you antagonize her like that?  I know that was on purpose.”

Reisen chuckled softly.  As she turned to Tewi, Reimu could see a glint in the commander’s eyes that she often saw in Mima’s and Yukari’s eyes.  A sparkle of calculated intellect and cunning. “Because I needed to determine how much of a threat she was to everyone.”

“I’ve warned you about her be-”

“Yes, I remember the reports.”  Despite Tewi’s growing anger, Reisen continued to grin.  “That was part of the reason… that, and how you were acting.  But the biggest thing was Marisa.” She looked back at the magician.  “We’ve known her for the better part of a year now, but I’ve never seen her act like that.  Not with _that_ level of animosity.  The only time I’ve ever seen anyone finish off another with that much overkill is when Kaguya and Mokou go at it… and usually one of them is grinning while they do it.”

With a fist on her knee, Tewi looked away in anger.  The music continued on as Reimu squeezed more water into the cloth, keeping it cool without oversaturating it.

“...so what did you learn, then?”  The bunny finally asked. Reisen shrugged.

“What I should have expected; another introvert with too much power and in dire need of an outlet.  I told her to get more exercise.”

The bunny shook her head and sighed.  “Well be careful, or otherwise you’ll find yourself on a one-way trip to Murderedsville.”

“It’s always Murderedsville with you.”  Reisen smiled. “Did you get some discount tickets for there, or-”

“It’s always Murderedsville ‘cause no one wants to go there!”

Reimu fidgeted.  “W-well, I mean- maybe Murderedsville has some serious urban blight; it- it could use some renovation, so it won’t be such a bad part of town anymore.”

There was a loud snort from Marisa.  “That’s- no, Reimu. It doesn’t work like that.”

“Awww…”

Pulling the cloth off her face, the magician sat up.  Giving Reisen a nod, she took stock of her surroundings before turning around to face her sister.

“Was that enough time?”  Reimu asked, handing her trail mix from her satchel.  Marisa grunted with a thumbs up as she poured the food right in her mouth.  She looked back at the group as she continued to chew.

“Now… just to leave everyone behind…”  She looked back at the shrine maiden. “Sorry Reimu, but there’s way too many tagging along right now; I can’t work like this.”

“N-no, I understand…” Reimu nodded, looking down.  “I don’t like leaving without saying something, but I know not all of them would take no for an answer.”

“Here,” Hourai sighed, holding out a hand, “give me a piece of paper, I’ll give the maid a note.  I know _she’ll_ get it.”

“Oh, and she can escort them back to the shrine to wait for us!”

“Care if we still tag along?”  Reisen asked quietly. “I know you’re used to working with just the two… well, three of you, but I’d like to think a field medic would be useful.  And Tewi and I are trained to act much like you and Reimu; she won’t interfere by needing to be saved or protected.”

Glancing at the returning doll, Marisa gave a nod.  “That’s fine. Let’s go while their attention’s drawn elsewhere.”

 

Rolling her eyes from her forced companion’s lyrics, Lyrica spotted the magician and the rabbits fly off.  She smirked as she turned her attention back to her keys, feeling a slight sting of jealousy.

 

* * *

 

“Alright, we’re getting closer, so the signal’s getting fuzzy…” Marisa glanced down as she brought them closer to the ground, keeping an eye out for planar oddities.

“Why do divinations _always_ work like that?”  Tewi sighed. “It’s like it’s going ‘eh, I got ya most of the way, find it yourself now.’  Really now.”

“It’s ‘cause you’re trying to find something rare, so the spell is fine-tuned to look for the slightest of traces.  The closer you get to the source, the greater the traces, so it starts to get overloaded.”

“Oooh…”  The bunny scratched her chin and nodded.  “Okay, that makes sense. Man, that was buggin’ me!”

The magician grinned as they landed.  She motioned towards a hill. “Now if you’re like, a professional diviner, then you would have some other spells that’re more… short ranged, so it’d help you find what you’re after further than this.  But… divination’s never interested me that much; guess ‘cause I like to see where something is with my own two eyes if possible.”

“Mm, makes sense…” Reisen glanced up at the hill, her eyes going wide for a moment.  “Oh. Oh my.” Lining the hills were countless white, bell-shaped flowers. “Tewi?”

“Wow, that- that’s a lot of Lily of the Valley.”  The bunny quickly looked through her medical bag before nodding.  “Okay, I think they’re okay for now, but if something happens, we should be able to take care of any poisonings.”

“The shores of Higan aren’t really known for their flowers, so we shouldn’t be here long-”

“Oh!”  The shrine maiden pointed towards the far hillside.  “Someone’s over there.”

Slight movement could be seen in the flowers before a small blonde girl jumped up, spinning around.  Quick as she appeared, the girl dropped back down, the only sign of her presence being the flower’s movements.  The magician covered her mouth with her handkerchief as she watched, trying to make sense of what she was witnessing.

“Is she in range of what we’re after?”  Reisen asked. Marisa continued to watch the bouncing girl.

“...could be.” She finally answered.  “Well, wouldn’t be the first time an incident was caused by someone goonin’ around.  Come on,” hopping on the broom, she motioned to Reimu. “Try not to breathe the pollen too deeply here.”

Taking to the air, the group approached the girl playing in the poisonous flowers on the hillside.  Marisa tapped the trigrams on her focus as they moved closer, frowning as the spells returned with unusual results.

“...she’s not living.”  The magician informed the others.  Noticing their approach, the girl stopped hopping around and watched.  “Not… not detecting undead, though.”

“Might be an artifact spirit of some sort.”  Reisen shrugged.

“Huh, yeah… the way she stares… a lot of constructs-”

“Hello miss!”  Reimu smiled and bowed.  “My name is Reimu Hakurei, I’m from the Hakurei Shrine!  What’s your name?”

The girl clothed in black and red continued to stare up at her; the shrine maiden noticed a tiny fairy flew next to her.  “I’m Medicine Melancholy.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Medicine!  These are my friends Reisen and Tewi, and this is my sister, Marisa!  We’re trying to find out what’s causing all these flowers to bloom; I was wondering if you knew anything about it.”

She continued to watch as Reimu spoke.  A soft breeze crossed over the hills, making the shrine maiden feel light-headed.  Pins and needles began to wash over her body.

The blonde girl smiled.

“Nope.  Don’t know anything about that.”

“Oh, okay then.”  She blinked and shook her head, trying to focus.  Hourai glanced her way, raising an eyebrow. “Is it… is it alright if I ask what… what you’re doing out here?”

“Experimentin’.”

“I ah… I see… oh…”  The shrine maiden began to sway on her feet.

“Reimu?  Reimu!” Hourai called out.

“Seems the suzuran’s pretty powerful this year.”  A cruel grin formed on Medicine’s lips as Reisen rushed forward, catching the shrine maiden before she could fall.

“Tewi!  Medkit, now!”

“Mm, not sure if she’s the one you should be wor-”  The girl’s words were cut off by Marisa’s boot connecting with her midsection, sending her flying up the hill.  The tiny fairy immediately flew over to Medicine’s location as the magician pulled out her focus.

“Well…”  The girl coughed, floating up above the flowers.  “If it’s a fight you want-”

_*FWP-CHK!*_

A scream of rage filled the air as Hourai launched herself at Medicine, sinking her butterfly knife into the girl’s chest.  

“A-”

“ _I will inflict atrocities upon your soul, child!_ ” Glaring into Medicine’s stunned eyes, Hourai twisted the knife.  Hooking her arm into one of the many holes of the handle, The doll in red pushed herself away from the girl, pulling out the blade in the process.  A sickly cloud of air hissed out of the wound; Medicine stared at the poisonous cloud, still stunned from the doll’s surprise attack.

Marisa downed her panacea as Hourai flew back next to her, shaking with uncontained fury.  The tingling numbness began to subside, but she knew it would only be so long before she succumbed as her sister had.

“Arright, let’s knock this out-”  Marisa started. Hourai held up a hand, keeping her eyes on Medicine.

“No.  She’s a doll Marisa, and she’s full of poison.  If you get in there, she’ll take you out quickly.”

The magician slowly sighed.  “...declare your number of cards, then.”

She moved her head slightly towards Marisa.

“Do this by the rules, Hourai.  That’s what she wants.”

Gritting her teeth, Hourai pointed her free hand at the poison doll.  Spell cards materialized between her fingers.

“THREE CARDS, WHELP.”

Though she was three times the height of her opponent, Medicine regarded Hourai warily.  “You’ll regret challenging me here… my poisons will-”

With two of the cards disappearing, Hourai held the first card high.  “Makai… is unimpressed! Ultima Sign:  KOR VAS FLAM!”

 

* * *

 

“Reimu…?  Can you hear me okay, kiddo?”

The shrine maiden slowly sat up, squinting in the direction of the voice.

“Mm… Miss… Reisen?”  She asked as the face of the commander came into focus.  The rabbit smiled softly at her.

“Hey, welcome back.  Tell me how you’re feeling.”

“Mm.  My head’s… a little stuffy, and I… I feel tired.”

“Alright, alright…” Reisen held out a hand and helped her to her feet.  “Sounds good so far… how’s your equilibrium, everything okay there?”

“Y… yes, I think so.  Thank you, Reisen.”

“Reimu?  Reimu!” Hourai flew over towards her charge, only to be caught in a bag by the bunny.  “Sonova- Shinki, give ME STRENGTH-!”

“You’re coated in poison, Hourai!”  Tewi screamed, trying to keep away from the armed thrashing doll while still holding the bag.  “I- I need to detox you first, calm down!”

The movement subsided with a grumbling sigh.

“It won’t take long to cleanse her.”  The commander assured the shrine maiden.  Looking beyond Tewi, Reimu could see a large swath of the flowers had been burnt away in combat.  Standing in the middle of the scorched land was Marisa, pointing her mini-hakkero at the blonde doll.  “Medicine’s poisons hit you pretty hard. While I don’t think it would have been fatal… well, it’s best to be safe.”

Reimu continued to stare at her sister and her prisoner.  “Did… she say why she did that?”

Putting a fist on her hip, Reisen looked over at the black-red doll; her eyes narrowed.  “Nope. I’m guessing she’s a new youkai, given how Hourai was treating her. She’s a poison doll though, so it’s probably just in her nature to… well, be a little bitch.”

Reimu frowned.  The rabbit glanced at her and grinned.

“...sorry kid, but that’s just how some people are.”

“Alright, there you go!”  Letting Hourai out of the bag, Tewi watched as the doll zipped over to Reimu, looking her over intensely.  Finding nothing out of the ordinary, she let out a sigh of relief and landed on her shoulder.

“...there’s only one of you, Reimu.”  The doll in red whispered. “Please be careful.”

She set her hand on the doll’s legs.  “Sorry Hourai; I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You’re okay now… that’s what matters.”

A loud yawn interrupted their conversation as someone came over the crest of the hill.  A redhead with short twintails and an artistically bent scythe covered her mouth as she approached.  Reimu squinted as the woman approached; her shuffling step did not match the speeds at which she truly moved.

“Oh, good… everyone lived,” she smiled, stopping near Marisa, “less work for me~”

“Good afternoon, miss.”  Reimu bowed as the grouped approached.  The redhead turned and scratched her chin.

“You… look familiar.”  She glanced at the magician.  “You too. Hm…” The woman faced the rabbits.  “Oh, hey Tewi.”

“...Komachi.”  The bunny nodded, standing behind Reisen.

“Nah, not your time again, don’t worry.”

“Tewi, why is this woman threatening you?”  The commander kept her eyes on Komachi, one arm holding her companion.  The woman chuckled.

“Nah, nah… if anything, that was the _opposite_ of a threat.”  She rested the scythe on her shoulder.  “Komachi Onozuka, the local ferryman for this part.”

The group stared at the ferryman in sudden comprehension, save for the shrine maiden who bowed.

“Well met, Miss Onozuka; my name is-”

“All this shit is _your fault_ , isn’t it?!”  Marisa exclaimed.  She stomped on Medicine’s foot as the doll attempted to get away.

“Marisa!”

“What…?   _No…!_ ”  The woman scoffed, shaking her head.  “What are ya talking about, anyway?”

“The flowers!  The souls! You just said you’re the local ferryman, and all the souls _here_ haven’t been getting taken away!”

“No!  No, no…”

Reimu recognized the nervous tic in her laughter; it was a mannerism her sister shared when Patchouli or Alice cornered her in a lie.

“Guys, trust me…” She held up a hand in a placating manner, “I’m workin’ on it as we speak.  Someone…”

“You.”  Marisa interrupted.

“ _Someone_ ,”  Komachi continued, undeterred by the truth, “has clearly made a mistake, and I’m going to make sure that this gets cleaned up, okay?”

“Hey, could we _not_ hold this conversation in a field of poison?”  Tewi called out. “Just a thought?”

“Arright, come on…”  Motioning with her free hand, a portion of gravel could be seen in the flower field.  Stepping forward, the group found themselves standing on the shore of a misty river, stretching as far as their eyes could see.  Sprouting throughout the gravel were the same red flowers seen near the shrine.

“Cool.”  Tewi nodded, agitation on her face.  “We trade the suzaran for _spider lilies_.  Was the ‘field of poison’ part of what I said _unclear?!_ ”

“Oh, that-”  Once more, the ferryman laughed nervously, “-that’s so _weird!_  What… why is this…?  I don’t even…”

“Miss Onozuka,” Reimu started, staring up at the woman, “were you in need of help to do your job?  Is that why this has gotten out of control?”

The doll in red gripped her temples.  “Shinki’s _love_ , Reimu…”

“Wh-what?”

Komachi snapped her fingers, her face lighting up.  “ _That’s it!_  You were the girl with the slit throat in the afterlife!”  She turned to Marisa. “And you were the one that was about to burn from the inside out!  The overmph!” She was interrupted by a broomstick from the magician. “Rude!”

Hourai closed her knife.  The rabbits stared at the humans, wide-eyed.

“Yeah, you were the one that brought Shinki over to help us,” Marisa nodded, waving a hand to keep things moving, “barely recognized ya.  Now…”

A smile grew on the ferryman’s face.  “Ya know, it could be argued that you two owe me one.”

Marisa’s eyes closed as she clenched her fist, her sigh turning into a growl.  Reimu placed a hand on her sister’s arm, keeping the magician’s anger in check.  The broom handle struck Medicine as the doll tried to make a break for it once more.

“You’re right, Miss Onozuka, we do indeed owe you a debt.”  The shrine maiden nodded. A look of relief passed over Komachi as Marisa rolled her eyes.

“That’s right!  So if you could-”

“And I believe I know how we can help you.  We’ve been over a large part of Gensokyo, and I believe we can guide you to where the worst of the flowers are, so you can collect the souls that are waiting for judgement.”

“Uh…”  Concern made its way back onto the ferryman’s face.

“We also know a flower youkai that should be able to help you determine which are the flowers you need, and which ones are supposed to be here as well!  She’s a very kind person!”

Komachi’s eyes moved from Reimu to the others, noting their snickers and laughter.  She looked back at the shrine maiden, mildly confused by her genuine smile.

“Well… uh… I mean…”

“Komachi.”  A voice called out.  The group turned to see a woman with short green hair walking calmly across the river.  She carried a ritual baton in one hand, held to her lips; her hat was adorned with a gold plate depicting scales.

The ferryman smiled nervously.

“Hey…” She waved half-heartedly.  Her face suddenly lit up as she hooked an arm around Reimu’s neck.  “So! My friend- OW!” She screamed as Hourai jammed a needle into her arm.

“You’re lucky I couldn’t open my knife!”  Hourai shot back. “Also? _Don’t touch the kid._ ”

“Hourai…”

“I’m not in the wrong here!  She’s a stranger!”

The newcomer watched the unfolding madness, unamused.  Finally Reimu turned to her and bowed.

“Good afternoon, Miss!  My name is-”

“You are Reimu Hakurei,” the green-haired woman interrupted, “the last remaining shrine maiden of the derelict Hakurei Shrine.”

“Oh!  Yes, that’s right!”

“Not even going to fight the ‘derelict’ barb, huh?”  Hourai sighed.

“W-well, I mean, it _is_ a barren shrine.”

The woman turned towards the magician.  “Marisa Kirisame, magician and muscle of said shrine… and you are Medicine Melancholy, forgotten, poisonous tool.”

“You don’t know me!”  The doll snarled. “Who do you think you are?!”

“I am Shiki Eiki, and I am the Yamaxanadu.”

“So what?”  Medicine continued to scowl at the woman.  Gritting her teeth, Marisa leaned close.

“If she’s telling the truth, she’s the final arbiter of souls…” The magician spotted the lack of comprehension and sighed.  “She’s the high judge of your soul. She decides if you go to hell or not after you eventually poison the wrong fucking person and get killed for it.”

“Sounds like a busy job.”  Reisen commented.

“Indeed.  So when I found myself without any souls to judge, I decided to see what the holdup was.  And lo and behold, I find Komachi, chatting with the locals.”

“Y-yeah, about that!  I think I solved what's going on, and- ow!”

“Stop trying to touch her!”

“Komachi.” The high judge looked up at her subordinate, both looking less than pleased for different reasons.  “You've been too lax as of late. You're causing problems for others with your inattention to your work.”

“S-sorry boss…”

“It's important for to do your work in a timely manner…”

“‘course, boss…”

“At any rate,” Marisa sighed, “if you have her under control, I think it's time for us to head out.  Come on, Reimu.”

“Oh! Um-”

“Ah, a moment, actually.”  Shiki turned her attention to Marisa; the magician’s eyes narrowed.  “After all, this is a prime opportunity to… correct problematic behavior.”

“Can't say I'm all that interest-”

“Medicine Melancholy.” Shiki started.  The magician let out a grumble, rolling her eyes.  “You've been leading a very selfish life for one so young.”

“W-what’s it to you?”  The doll began to stumble backwards.

“I'm guessing this is her thing?” Marisa sighed, looking at Komachi.  The ferryman let out a grunt.

“I suppose you cannot help that, though. After all, humans pour their emotions into their tools, and when it gets down to it, that is all a doll is.”

Reimu’s eyebrow twitched.  Hourai pat her cheek.

“Just ignore her.” The doll in red sighed.

“Th- that's right.” Medicine nodded.  “It's not my fault.”

“Of course,” Shiki continued on, “with so many spirits confused about their status in ‘where’ they are in life here, you're more than likely to simply end up being one of their broken tools once more.”

“N-no, no you're wrong!” The black-red doll backed away from the high judge again.  “I'll be stronger than that! I'm- I'm going to-do to rise up and liberate all dolls everywhere! You'll-”

“Fuck you!”

The two stopped, turning towards the outburst.  Hourai held out her middle finger to Medicine, scowling.

“Fuck you!  You don’t know _shit_ about dolls!” She screamed again, learning towards her.

“Hm, seems your liberation project is off to a rough start.”  Shiki turned to the magician. Marisa rolled her eyes. “Marisa Kiri-”

The magician put her hand over the high judge's mouth.  The two looked art one another before she took her hand away.

“Marisa Kiri-”

Once more Shiki was silenced.  Komachi leaned close to the shrine maiden.

“...has a problem with her last name, I take it?”

Reimu nodded.

“... Marisa, you-”

“Hey, you _can_ learn, awesome…”

“ _-you_ have a problem with the truth.”

“Mm.”

“And ownership of property.”

“That's nice.”

“Liars have their tongues removed, Miss Kirimph-”

“Aaand one step back…” she stared down at the high judge, covering her mouth.  “You gonna keep antagonizing me, or…?”

Marisa’s hand was knocked aside by Shiki’s baton.

“Also Grand Justice, if you're going to pretend to be proper, it's _Magister_.  At any rate, thanks for the heads up, I'll be sure to pack an extra tongue.”

She stared up at Marisa, peering into her soul.  “This is for your own benefit, Magister. With your dangerous line of work-”

“If you wish to offer advice to those in dangerous work-” Reisen started.  Komachi held up her hands and quickly shook her head at her as Tewi tugged on her sleeve.  “-then you might want to consider the time and place-”

Shiki turned her gaze towards the commander.

“Platoon Commander Reisen Udongein Inaba.” The high judge intoned.

Reisen’s lip curled.  “Do _not_ call me that-”  She took a step forward; the Grand Justice continued to give her an appraising look, appearing to be less than pleased with what she had determined.

“You've been living quite well for a deserter-”

Her steps turned to a charge, rage contorted the commander’s face.  Komachi and Tewi jumped at her, struggling to keep her at bay. “Fuck you!  Don't you _dare-!_ ”

“Why do you think you're allowed a life of luxury while you left the others to die?”

The lunar rabbit surged forward, pushing the other two back.

“I SEE THEIR FACES EVERY TIME I CLOSE MY EYES, YOU SONOVABITCH!”  The lunar rabbit continued to make progress towards the yamaxanadu.  Muscles and tendons flexed as she bared her teeth.  “Don’t you DARE try to tell me-!”

“Shiki, for the love of the Light, stop antagonizing her!”  The ferryman grunted, feeling the gravel slip beneath her feet.

“She's _the_ Final Arbiter, Reisen!” Tewi cried.  “Please don't-”

“You weren't fucking there!  You weren’t in the trenches! You weren’t the one _beaten_ for shooting the unarmed too slowly!”  She screamed in a bloody rage, reaching towards the woman.  “We weren’t allowed to pray for a better life! I! Tried! To save their lives, you shitsucking-!”

A loud slap rang across the Sanzu River.

Rubbing her cheek, Shiki looked down at the tiny shrine maiden who lowered her hand.  Reimu glared up at the high judge, tears stinging her eyes.

“Grand Justice Shiki Eiki, I will _not_ allow you to say such horrible things to my friends and family!”

The high judge regarded the girl silently.  The lunar rabbit’s progress ground to a halt, Tewi and Komachi continued to hold onto Reisen as the shrine maiden held Shiki’s gaze.

“...I am not saying these things to be cruel, young Hakurei.  These are issues they need to address if they do not wish to end up in Hell.   _All_ have sin.”

“We are not Divine, Grand Justice.”  Reimu countered. “We are Mortal. We will always have sin for that is how the cycle of life flows.  The moment we are born, we start to accumulate sin. When we die, no matter our life, no matter who listens to our prayers and confessions, there will always be some left upon our soul.”

“That does not mean-”

“It is admirable that you wish to keep people from being cast into Hell, Grand Justice.”  The shrine maiden nodded, resolve still burning in her eyes. “But _you_ need to realize that advice and orders can be detrimental or destructive if given at the wrong time.  If you wish to help my friends and family, then you must speak to them when _they_ are ready to hear, _not_ when it’s convenient for you!”

The two stared at one another.  The only sound heard above the splashing of the river was Reisen’s ragged breathing.

Shiki sighed.

“...as you wish, young Hakurei.”

She shook her head.  “What I wish, Grand Justice, is that everyone could live in harmony, and help one another when they need it.”  The shrine maiden finally broke her gaze, looking away. “But that wish will take a lot of work to realize, and I need to make sure to do my part.”

“Hm.”  Shiki looked at her subordinate.  “Komachi. I believe you have your work cut out for you.”

“Y-yes, boss.”  The ferryman slowly eased up on Reisen, unsure if the rabbit were about to continue her launch.  She jumped as Reimu touched her sleeve.

“Miss Onozuka, once your work is complete, you may join us at the Hakurei Shrine.”

Marisa closed her eyes and sighed.

“Please bring your boss with you as well.”

Marisa’s eyes popped open wide, frowning at her sister.

“Uh, thanks kiddo,”  Komachi grinned nervously, glancing at the magician before looking at Reimu once more, “but we’re technically not part of Gensokyo, and I don’t think Shiki should-”

“You may not be of Gensokyo, but your um… ‘work overflow’ did spill _into_ here, and this is my jurisdiction.  This is how we do things.”

“O-okay, but-”

“Also, if Yamaxanadu Eiki wishes to help people atone for their sins, then she should spend time with them, to learn how to better advise them, and perhaps better advise others after we pass on.”

Komachi clicked her tongue and sighed, looking down at Shiki.  “Well, you heard the kid. Guess we’re goin’ to a mixer after work!”

Baton to her lips once more, the high judge gave the ferryman a flat stare.  “Then I suggest you _hurry_ Komachi, as I can’t do _my job_ until _you do yours_.”

“I-”

“ _And you were explicitly instructed to bring me along._ ”

“Alright, alright!  Geeze!” Rolling her eyes, Komachi reached up and grabbed an invisible strand.  She gave the group a nod. “Take care folks. I’ll drop you right outside the entrance to the river.”

Pulling her hand down, the two from the higher planes suddenly pulled far back, becoming specks as they found themselves close to the hills covered in the lily of the valley.  Reisen covered her face with a hand as she let out a long, shuddering sigh. The shrine maiden turned to the poison doll.

“Miss Melancholy, do you have anyone who can help repair your body?”

The doll shook her head, taking a step away from the magician.  Reimu pointed towards youkai mountain.

“We live at the foot of the mountain, and a friend of ours will be there soon.  Her name is Magister Margatroid, and she will repair you.”

Hourai looked at the shrine maiden, less than pleased.  Medicine shook her head.

“I’m not going to be enslaved by-”

“Magister Margatroid loves all dolls, and takes very good care of them.  She will not enslave you. You have my word.”

“You really don’t have a choice, whelp.”  The doll in red turned her attention back to Medicine.  “In the state you’re in now, you’re easy pickings for something looking for a meal.  Take the kindness… while it lasts.”

Saying nothing, the doll took another step back before giving a single nod and flying off.  Watching her fly off until she was out of sight, Marisa and Hourai turned towards Reimu.

“ _Why-?_ ”  They started.  The shrine maiden held up her hands and sighed.

“She’s young.  Miss Alice will give her the help she needs… and I think she’d be in the best position to help her learn to be a good person.  And… we have to help her as well. We punished her for doing wrong. The punishment is done, so we need to help her now.”

Covering her face, Hourai slowly pulled her hands down, tugging the skin as she groaned.  “Fiiine…!”

“Thank you, Hourai.”  Reimu sniffed her nose.  “That… I’m sorry for always asking you to do things that aren’t easy, but… I appreciate it.  You help me a lot.”

“Yeah, yeah…”  The doll let out a laugh before she sighed, “don’t worry kid.  You’re making good choices, I just-”

She paused as Reimu quickly turned towards Reisen.  The commander continued to cover her eyes; tears poured from under her hand as she grit her teeth.

“I tried…”  She whispered, falling to her knees.  Tewi clung to her, fighting back her own tears.  “I tried to save them, I swear I did…”

“We’re here for you, Reisen…”  The shrine maiden whispered as she wrapped her arms around the rabbit, hugging her close.  “It’s okay.”

“I didn’t want to kill them…”

A sob escaped her lips.  The shrine maiden hugged her tighter.

“It’s okay.”

“I didn’t…”

The magician kneeled next to Reisen, providing her comfort.

“...want to…”  Another sob wracked her body before a loud wail escaped.  Reimu continued to whisper a soothing tone in her ear, giving her words of comfort as her defenses rested for the first time in decades.  The four gave her support as pain and fear finally left her body.

 

* * *

 

As much as she did not wish to admit it, Medicine quickly realized the doll in red had not lied about the condition she was in.  She had never left her hill before, and those who dwarfed her power were many. It had only taken a few run-ins with fairies and other youkai before she traveled much quieter than she had started.

Keeping her eyes on the mountain, the poison doll eventually made her way past a town, and found a pathway.  Keeping a careful eye on her surroundings, Medicine slowly made her way up the stone steps.

“Well, didn’t expect to see _you_ here…”

The doll grabbed the torii and froze, trying her hardest to not be seen.  After a moment, she peeked out to see two green-haired women, one with a parasol, and another with wispy tail.  They stood near the center of the shrine grounds, with others milling about. Here and there, dolls flew about, placing food and torches for lighting while horned girls cleaned things up.  Peering closer, she realized the dolls all had slight differences in their appearances and characteristics, while all of the tiny horned girls milling about looked identical to one another.

The door to the shrine opened.  Two silver-haired women emerged, carrying sealed bottles of alcohol.  Behind them, a fairy and tengu emerged, chattering to one another as they carried an open bottle.  She turned her attention back to the two green haired women, to see only the woman with the parasol remaining, turned in her direction.  A wave of fear washed over her as a shadow overtook her.

“And what… have… we… here?”

Spinning around, the woman with a wisp for legs hovered over her.  Medicine could feel her legs lock up as their eyes met.

“Hm… Alice…?”  The woman called out.

Starting to shake, Medicine could see a few dolls appear over the shoulder of the woman before a tall blonde approached.

“This one of yours?”

“Oh!  Hm…” Taking a knee, the tall woman broke Medicine’s line of sight as she looked over the poison doll, assessing the damage to her body.  On her shoulder, a doll in blue smiled at her. “I was expecting her, this is Medicine Melancholy.”

“A-are you M-Magister Margatroid?”

“Oooh, ‘Magister’, how fancy~”  The shorter green-haired woman commented as she approached.  Ignoring the quip, the blonde looked into her eyes and smiled.

“That’s correct.”

“She a new friend of Reimu’s?”  The long-haired woman asked.

“...of a sorts.  You are here for repairs, yes?”

Still shaking, she nodded.  The doll in blue stood up as Alice motioned to the girl.

“This is Shanghai Doll, she will handle your repairs if you would follow her.”

Giving a bow, Shanghai took Medicine’s hand with both of hers and guided her to the shrine.  The blonde spoke to the other two as the dolls left; the others seemed to pay her little heed.

The poison doll looked around as she was guided into the building.  She could hear chattering as people milled about, moving various things out of the way for whatever was occurring.  The two rounded the corner, and Shanghai lead her into a room full of cloth and things arcane in nature.

“I believe you’re in luck, Miss Melancholy!”  The doll in blue smiled, patting the table. “From what mother could tell, most of the damage to your body is superfluous, and should be quick to repair.  I also have the skills to fix your clothing as well!”

“O-okay… thank you.”

Gears turned in the poison doll’s head as she was laid down.  A spell circle appeared underneath her as Shanghai gathered raw materials.

“I… I didn’t see the Magister tell you anything.”

“Oh, Mother has a mental link with us; it helps keep things coordinated.”

“‘Us’?”

“Yes, me and my sister!  I believe you know her...”  Activating one of the runes, Shanghai turned her attention back to Medicine as the poison doll became locked in place.  “...her name is Hourai.”

Medicine’s eyes went wide.  She could hear footsteps approaching as Shanghai’s face appeared above her, looking serious.

“But first… I think we need to talk about someone _else_ very important to everyone here… myself included.”

She tried to move her arms; nothing would budge.  “W-w-who?”

“...Miss Reimu.”

 

* * *

 

“So uh… didn’t know you and Reimu were super close.”  Marisa commented. The three looked down at Reimu, sleeping in Reisen’s arms.  Between the stress from the fights, and the fatigue from the poison, the tiny shrine maiden had become exhausted as they readied to leave.  The commander offered to carry her, while Tewi rode on the back of the broom to compensate for the lack of shrine maiden.

“Yeah, she’s… she’s an interesting human.”  Reisen smiled warmly. “It’s rare to meet someone with a heart as caring as hers.”  She stared at the girl a little longer before looking at the path ahead. “She offered to listen about… where I came from, and why I left, back when you guys met Mokou.”

Marisa nodded.  “Yeah, I remember that night; she came back with you.  Is that when you were telling her?”

“No.”  She shook her head.  “That’s… just when she found out I had left, rather than arrived, if you get what I mean.”

“I think so.”

“Well after that, she continued to visit, but she never brought it up or hinted at it again.  She just… made sure I had the opportunity to talk if I wanted to. So… I started telling her. Just… bits and pieces, about how the lunar rabbits are treated and what they’re forced to do.”  The commander frowned. “Although, each time I had to keep it short, ‘cause I started feelin’ bad with how much she cried. But… she always told me she’d be there for me, and… it really helped.”

Marisa smiled.

“Because after awhile… you start to wonder if you were in the wrong for wanting to escape.”  A rare look of anxiety washed over Reisen’s face. The magician’s smile faded. “You start to think… they _did_ know best, and… you made things worse by leaving.  The words like the Yamaxanadu said, that I don’t deserve-”

The shrine maiden slowly reached up and wrapped her arms around the commander’s shoulders.

“You’re a good person, Reisen.”  She whispered, half asleep. “Please don’t doubt that…”

“...thank you, Reimu.”

Another wave of silence overtook them as they continued to fly.

Eventually the magician cleared her throat.

“I guess it was just a bit of a surprise to me, since I don't see you guys at the shrine very often.” Light from the festivities could be seen as they approached the guardian’s home.  Reisen nodded in understanding.

“Mm, yeah, I just prefer not to leave Tewi alone.”  They drifted up the stairs, the shrine maiden woke up further as the din grew.  “Not that she's incapable of defending herself, but…”

“Nah, I get’cha.”  The magician glanced back at the bunny; she could feel her start to drift off as her sister became more coherent.  “Still, I know she’s already said so, but you’re both welcome here whenever, you know? Doesn’t have to be at a party like this if you don’t like crowds, feel free to stop by after work or something.”

The rabbit smiled.  “Thanks.” She touched down as the broom hovered next to her.

“At any rate-”

“There you are!”  Mima called out, approaching.

“Oh, hey m- erk!”  The magician suddenly flipped forward, fighting to keep from falling on her face.  Straightening once more, she turned back to give her moving passenger an earful only to find herself alone on the broom.  “Where the hell- sorry Ma-”

Marisa turned back to her mother, only to find her gone as well.

The magician sighed.

 

Hitting the stone step, Tewi launched herself down the stairs as fast as her legs would allow.  She could feel her heart in her throat as watched the approaching ground before leaping once again.

The voice of the lich had cut right through her fatigue and grabbed her survival instincts by the throat.  It had been centuries since she had last heard it, but it was something she could never forget. Too many times in her life she had heard that very voice before the slaughter would start.  Once more she touched down and leapt again.

In the back of her mind, the bunny was uncertain how she had even ended up at the shrine, but she knew such questions could be answered later.  Much, much later. Hitting the grass at the bottom of the staircase, Tewi landed on her hands and feet, launching herself into a sprint. Before she could build up to her full speed, the bunny slammed into an unmoving figure.

“S-sorry, sorr-”  Stunned, she took a step back before looking up.  Green, glowing eyes stared back at her.

Tewi felt her legs lock up as the lich’s gaze froze her in place.  A cold sweat washed over her as terror screamed orders at her body.  The noise from the party above faded away as her rapid heartbeat drowned everything else out.

Images of her mother and siblings flashed through her eyes.  She saw her first human friends when she ascended to a youkai.  Gensokyo’s formation appeared, quickly followed by the original clump of bamboo turning into a forest.  Screams from the town echoed through her ears as hundreds died. Eientei’s birth silenced everything else with static, followed by Reisen’s bloodied arrival, which gave way to the sound of a master spark tearing through the mansion.  A small whine escaped her lips.

“Now _there_ ’s a reaction I haven’t seen in awhile…”  The spectre murmured, leaning closer. “...you must know me then.  Although, you… do look familiar.” Standing back up, Mima continued to stare into her eyes.  “I suggest you tell me who you are and how you know me.”

Still afflicted by the lich’s fear, the bunny felt her mouth open under its own accord.  “Tewi Inaba… I was one of the Town’s Guardian Spirits. I saw the wards fall.”

Mima raised her eyebrows.  “Aaah…! That explains a _lot_.”  A smile formed on her lips.  “I never did catch you. Well done, bunny.  At any rate… your luck continues, don’t worry.”

“Auntie…!”  Tewi could hear a familiar voice, but fear continued throw her thoughts in a jumble.  Footsteps came up beside her.

“Hey, sweetie.  Sorry to bug ya right away, but… could you tap the bunny on the shoulder?  I’d do it, but I’m pretty sure it’d stop her heart.”

Tewi flinched as a shock shot through her system.  Taking a deep breath, she turned to see Reisen carrying the shrine maiden, with the witch drifting behind.

“Are you okay, Miss Tewi?”  The shrine maiden asked. Her body finally able to move once more, the bunny began to shake uncontrollably.

“That’s… a common reaction.”  The lich scratched her chin, glancing away.  Turning to Mima, Reisen held out Reimu.

“Your shrine maiden, returned in prime condition, magister.”

“I’ll be the judge of that…”  Taking the girl from her hands, Mima looked over her niece as the commander picked up her companion.  Tewi immediately buried her face against Reisen. “Hm… hm. I see some scuff marks here…”

“Pretty sure those were there, ma.”

“Sh!”

“Ah, just give ‘em their deposit back.”  Hourai grinned, rolling her eyes. “They earned it.”

“Bah!”  Setting the shrine maiden down, Mima shook her head.  “We’re never going to get funding if you kids keep doing that.  At any rate…” Reaching into her sleeve, the lich produced a bottle of alcohol and handed it to her daughter.  “Give that to her,” she nodded towards the shaking bunny, “I think she needs it.”

“Oh!  Um, sorry-”  Holding out a hand, Reimu turned to her aunt as the Tewi started to drink.  “Auntie, this is Miss Reisen Inaba and Miss Tewi Inaba… no relations.”

Her hands full, Reisen gave a nod.  The bunny continued to down the bottle.

“Miss Reisen, Miss Tewi, this is Aunt- Magister Mima.”

“Hey kids.  As much fun as the bottom of the stairs are, let’s head back to the party.”

“We’ll meet you up there,” Marisa smiled, “give me just a sec.”

Nodding, Reimu lead the two up the stairs, chattering away as the two magicians watched them leave.

 

“So what’s up?”

Marisa turned back to her mother, looking concerned.  “Er, quick question about Tewi there…”

Mima shook her head.  “Don’t be offended by anything she says or does.”  She sighed. “You remember how I’ve told you I’ve killed thousands?”

“Yeah?”

“She saw it happen over the course of time.  I’m guessing a lot of them were her friends.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah…”

Marisa put an arm around her mother’s waist as they stared at the steps again, the group already gone.  Mima returned the embrace.

“I’ve… I’ve done-”

“Nn… no, fuck that,” her daughter immediately interrupted, “you’re awesome, and you always will be to me.”  She looked up at the spectre. “People change, and few people keep an eye on their past as well as you do. Even if you still need to atone… I love you.”

“Well thank you, sweetie.”  She smiled down at her daughter before looking back up the stairs.  “Was there anything else?”

“Er, yeah… about the incident.”

“I noticed you solved it… I also noticed everyone who arrived with you seemed… mentally exhausted as well.”  She glanced back Marisa. “I already heard about Medicine.”

“Y-yeah… about that.”  Looking at her mom once more, the spectre could see the concern on her face.  “It was a ferryman who caused the incident this time… through sheer fucking negligence.”

Mima barked a laugh before letting out a sigh.  “Arright… I assume she’s been invited?”

“Y...es.  Her… and her boss.”

The lich paused, racking her brain for hierarchy of the psychopomps.  “...A yama?”

Marisa held her breath.  “Nn… the Yamaxanadu.”

The spectre touched her forehead and let out a heavy sigh.  “Of fucking… course.”

“...Reimu bitch slapped her.”

She gasped.  “No…!”

“Oh, aye.  The uh… the high judge… she said some things to-”  She paused, scratching her chin. “Look, I don’t know her that well, but Reisen?  She’s a moon rabbit; she’s seen some shit.”

Mima let out a grunt.  “I don’t doubt it. Even though she was snarking, I could see the pain in her eyes.  The lunarians do _not_ treat their rabbits right.”  Her lip curled in a sneer as the started up the stairs.  “But what else would you expect from Heaven’s allies…”

“Heaven:  It’s a Hell of a place.”

“Heh!  At any rate, you kids did well.  Try to enjoy yourselves, and thanks for the heads up about our potential guests.”

“I think it’s safe to say they’ll be here later.  Reimu all but demanded it of them.”

“...this was tough on her, wasn’t it?”

“It… it wasn’t nice, I can say that much.”

 

* * *

 

“Is there anything else you need, Miss Tewi?”

“Copious amounts of alcohol.”  The bunny stated flatly. Though they had mostly subsided, her supernatural shakes remained.  Peeking out over Reisen’s shoulder, she could see the princess of Eientei squabbling with Mokou.  “So what happened with those idiots after I left, anyway?”

“Hm?”  The commander’s undamaged ear twitched.  “Oh.” She let out a grunt of a laugh. “Shouting and explosions before the knockout gas, what else?”

“Aw…”  Reimu’s shoulders slumped.

“Sorry, kiddo.”  Her hands occupied, the commander bumped the shrine maiden with her hips.  “I’m not as good at the whole ‘diplomacy between two idiots’ thing.”

“W-well, was it really bad, or- or were they trying to um…”

“They were just looking for a reason.”  The shrine maiden opened the door for the two and led them inside.  “Or rather, the Princess-” Sitting at the table was Medicine, with Shanghai next to her.

“Good evening, Shanghai.  Hello Miss Medicine, how are you feeling?”

“H-hello, Miss Reimu.”  The poison doll gave a nervous bow as Tewi was set opposite of her.  The bunny grabbed a bottle as a blanket was thrown over her shoulders; she immediately continued her drinking binge.  “I’m better, thanks to Miss Shanghai here. I’m uh… sorry about earlier.”

The shrine maiden bobbed her head in acknowledgement as Hourai hopped off her shoulder, chatting with her sister.

“It’s okay, Miss Reisen and Miss Tewi helped me; they’re really good friends to me.  I hope we can be friends, too.”

The doll smiled at her.

“Has everyone been nice to you?”

“Y-yeah.  The ghost magician, uh… Mima, she scared me at first, but she’s been nice after that.  And Miss Shanghai, she explained to me what I did wrong while she fixed me-”

As she turned to thank Hourai’s sister, Reimu noticed the doll was blushing fiercely.

“U-um, is everything alright, Shanghai?”

“Oh, ah…” Medicine laughed nervously.  “She… she started to explain right after she locked me down, so I uh… I thought she was about to interrogate me.  I uh… started to cry.”

“Awesome!”  Hourai smiled and held a hand up. “High-five, sis!”

Shanghai gave her sister an unamused look.

“...come on, don’t leave me hangin’!”

“...no, Hourai.  Just… no.”

“Aw…”

The bottle devoid of its contents, Tewi looked at the doll.  “Anyway, if we’re making friends with those that try to kill us, you should talk to Doctor Eirin.  She’d be interested in your poison abilities; probably could make some good antidotes with ‘em.”

“Uh…”

“If you’re still planning to do that liberation thing you were going on about,” Reisen interrupted her, “you’re going to need funding.  Eientei pays well.”

The poison doll’s answer never registered with the bunny as her fatigue came back in full force.  She laid her head on the table as the others talked away, letting their chatter act as a lullaby. Time lost meaning as her mind tried to sort out the day’s events.

A shiver went down her spine as a quiet burst of necrotic energy erupted next to her, bringing her surroundings into sharp focus.

“Sorry Tewi,” Mima sighed, putting a hand on Reisen’s shoulder, “don’t mean to keep scaring you, but I _am_ a fixture here, and I need to protect others.  Speaking of which…”

As the commander turned to face the dread lich, the two disappeared in a crumbling cloud of smoke.  Her ears could pick up sudden sound in a nearby room, but before she could ask why the scariest person in the world just disappeared with her strongest ally, the door opened, revealing the high judge and ferryman.

“Good evening, Grand Justice; Miss Onozuka.”  Reimu smiled calmly, motioning to the empty section of the table.

“Hey kids!”  Komachi helped herself to a bottle as the two sat down.

“Evening, young Hakurei.”  Shiki nodded.

“Get all your souls delivered?”  Marisa asked, helping herself to one of the bottles.  The space between her and her sister became full of bunny as Tewi repositioned herself.

“Eh, more or less…”  Komachi’s eyes moved between Marisa’s and Shiki’s as she took a shot.  “ _Yes,_ yes I delivered them all; cripes.”

“That’s good; it was givin’ my ma some pretty bad allergies.”

Tewi’s head tilted as she tried to determine how much she heard was correct, and how much had been run through the alcohol filter.  With her judgement impaired, curiosity got a hold of her mouth. “How does-?”

“Let’s just say ‘not very gracefully’ and leave it at that.”  Marisa cut her off.

“O-okay, fair.”  She quickly poured herself a shot.

“Where is Commander Inaba?”

“Miss Reisen was called away shortly before your arrival.”  The shrine maiden informed the high judge. “We don’t know when she’ll return.”

“Boss, don’t piss off the rabbit again…” The ferryman muttered exasperatedly as she poured the high judge a shot.  “...it’s not going to help anyone.”

“I’m not attempting to anger her, it’s just-”

“Just… what?”  Marisa asked. Shiki paused, giving the magician an appraising look.  “You don’t strike me as the apologizing type, Shiki. So if you’re not looking to jam that baton of yours in her wounds, then… why did you want to know where she is?”

Setting down her dish, the high judge rest her elbows on the table and steepled her fingers, taking Marisa in.

“...hey Awkward Silence,” Tewi slurred, head back on the table, “didn’t see ya there.  Take a seat, tie one on.”

“Do you know how the Yama do their job, Magister?  The mechanics of it-” She quickly added, a small smile forming at interrupting the magician’s prepared answer, “not… the quality of it, as it were.”

“Mm, souls go to the yamas, the yamas yell at all the souls for bein’ mortal and then send ‘em to hell.”  Searching through her satchel, Marisa began to fill her pipe. “Somethin’ like that?”

Shiki rolled her eyes, sighing lightly.  “We judge the souls based on the Laws of Heaven, assuming they have not already been marked for judgement elsewhere.  For example -” She held out a hand to the two dolls standing on the table. Hourai glared at her. “-Hourai Doll and her mother are out of my jurisdiction.  Were either to… involuntarily travel to Higan as it were, they would be routed to Makai for judgement, as that plane handles its own affairs.” The high judge’s gaze moved towards the shrine maiden.  “Same would go for the young Hakurei, were she to accept the open offer given to her, before… her time of judgement. Of course,” She turned her attention back to Marisa, “such things are rare, but not without precedent.”

“Huh; arright…”

The few gears in Tewi’s head unaffected by intoxicants began to turn.  “What… what off-rmph! Ow…”

The magician pulled the bunny into her lap.

“So after-”

“You need to empty out your apron more often.”

“- _after that_ , then what?”

“We pass judgement on their actions according to the Laws of Heaven.”

“Is that hard to do?”  The shrine maiden asked.

“Oh yes.  Think about… the laws of the nearby settlement here.  Most have been laid with the purpose of keeping people, property, and society itself safe.  But how many times have people broken those laws _for_ that very purpose?  Harming a killer, a starving person stealing food to survive, travelling recklessly in order to deliver vital supplies or news?  The law is broken, but the intent still needs to be addressed.”

Reimu nodded.  Such topics were oftentimes after dinner discussions before intoxicants prevented critical thinking.

“Of course… the laws of man only apply if there is a witness or evidence to their breaking.  The Laws of Heaven are absolute; all infractions are recorded on your soul. And that’s what begins to complicate things.”

Keeping her hands together, Shiki leaned forward.  Komachi leaned back, rolling her eyes as she took a sip from her dish.

“Again, let’s return to ‘harming a killer’.  Murder is universally accepted to be an immoral thing.  After all, only the slightest of fractions of people have a way to reverse such a thing, whether it’s from their own power, or from a contact they can afford.  But is all murder the same amount of sin? To kill to prevent yourself from being killed, is that the same as killing to protect another? What if the killer truly believes _you_ plan to kill _them_ ?  Or… what if, after killing them, you find out _you_ were wrong?”

The shrine maiden put a hand to her chin, considering the Yamaxanadu’s words.  She continued on.

“Your guardian, your… family, she has taught you not to dwell on ‘what if’.  Indeed, it can be an extremely dangerous thing to do, no matter what your level of intellect is.  But Heaven cannot afford that luxury. ‘What ifs’ are not simply concerns of the past, they are cases which we see every single day.  For every crime, for every infraction against the Laws of Heaven, we need to determine if those instances were Just. After all, it’s not as if anyone can simply check out the Statutes of Heaven.”

As her sister considered the high judge’s words, Marisa continued on.  “So, how do you do that, then?”

Reaching into her jacket, Shiki produced a pristine, polished hand mirror.  “This,” she began, careful to keep surface from pointing any anyone, “will reveal the heart of whoever looks into it.  Their lives, their intentions, their deeds… will all be revealed.” She pocketed the mirror once more. “It is tiring for both the user and recipient, but it ultimately tells us where a soul belongs for what they have done with their life.”

“So… why do you harass people when you come to this side of life, then?”

“Marisa…”

“It’s a valid question!”

Shiki arched an eyebrow.  “I talk to people about their misdeeds because watching people go to Hell is unpleasant, especially when perhaps all it would have taken is a nudge or a word of warning at some point in their life to turn them around.  No sentence _is_ forever, but… if one can avoid burning and instead end up in the Netherworld or simply reincarnate… would you not agree that an attempt should be made?”

“Maybe… but they way you go about it-”

“It often takes a shock to the system for one to truly consider their past actions before their time is up.  For example… let’s say instead I come up to you, out of the blue, and say ‘Marisa, you’ll go to Hell if you keep lying and stealing.’ and then simply walk away; what do you think your honest reaction to such a statement would be?”

The magician grinned as the Yamaxanadu gave her example.  “Honestly? I’d probably tell you ‘fuck you very much’-”

“Marisa!”

“-and be on my way.  Hey, she said to be honest!”

“Exactly.  And to be fair, that’s a common reaction to such unsolicited advice.  But I’m not telling you because you’re exactly one theft away from Hell, I’m telling you because what I’ve seen in your heart, and what I’ve seen happen to people similar to you, is you’re very likely going to end up in Hell because of how those two things dictate your life.  I’m not saying such a thing is guaranteed, but I have witnessed the pattern before. For most people, they require something to shake them out of their daily routine so they may examine themselves, and see the words I give are for their benefit.”

Marisa nodded, looking more serious.  “...and with Reisen, then?”

Shiki broke her gaze, looking at her empty dish before sighing.  “That…” She began as Komachi sat back up and poured a drink, “is why I modified my statement with ‘most.’  Such approaches are not universal, unfortunately.”

“No, not that, just- the shit you _called_ her.  She was enslaved, yo… and you tried to guilt trip her for breaking free.”

Shiki quietly drank from her dish before looking at Marisa once more.  “The mirror… reads hearts, Magister.”

“...o-oh.” The shrine maiden put a hand to her chest, clutching her ascot.  The high judge gave a nod.

“The Lunarians are… a subject for another time.  However, if she does not address her inner demons… well, I think you know where I'm going with this.”

“Y-yes.”

“As you have pointed out, my words are likely to be… counter-productive with her for the time being, so I ask of you Hakurei:  Please, take care of her.”

Reimu clenched her fists and nodded.  “I will. She’s my friend. I’ll help her in any way I can.”

“Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

“Sorry ‘bout that, but…” Mima took her hand away from the rabbit’s mouth, keeping her voice low.  “From what my daughter told me, I figured you did _not_ want to see who was visiting right now.

Her undamaged ear twitched as the two listened from the darkened room next to where the others were resting.  Reisen nodded and sighed. Reaching into her sleeves, Mima produced a bottle of alcohol, handing it to her new companion.  The rabbit shook her head.

“I’m… a psychotic drunk.”

“Heh!  Fair enough…”  Stowing the bottle, she instead removed a pipe.  Reisen’s eyes lit up.

“That, however…”  She grinned as she accepted the pipe and lighter.  Mima turned her attention to the room next to them, listening in to the conversation.  She looked back at the rabbit as she took the pipe back.

“So.  My niece seems to think rather highly of you…”  The lich commented before taking a hit. Reisen scratched her chin, a look of uncertainty crossed her face as she exhaled.

“...I haven’t done anything untoward with her…?”

There was a burst of smoke from Mima’s nose as she snorted; her body shook slightly as she desperately tried to keep from going into a coughing fit.

“Not what you were getting at, I suppose.”

“N… no.”  She grinned, passing the pipe once more.  “I know you haven’t done anything like that to her, ‘cause otherwise Hourai _probably_ would have killed you by now.”

“Mm.”  Reisen nodded, giving the pipe another go.  “Fierce little doll. Good stuff, by the way.”

“Thank you.  No, I simply wished to thank you for being a friend to her, especially with all that shit pertaining to those two immortal knuckleheads…”

“Mm.  Your niece is… a very kind girl.  Your daughter’s not too bad of a kid, either.”

“I like to think I did alright with both of them, especially given the circumstances.  Ah-” The lich faced the wall and motioned to the rabbit. “Not sure if you’ll want to hear this, but…”

Stepping closer, Reisen could hear the group through the thin walls of the shrine.

“No, not that, just- the shit you _called_ her...”  She could hear the magician say.

The two stood in silence as they eavesdropped.  Reisen steeled her nerves to keep her anxiety at bay as the conversation continued on.

“She’s my friend.  I’ll help her in any way I can.”

Reisen smiled softly, lighting the pipe again.

“...a very kind girl.”  She whispered. Mima ignored the cracks in her voice.

“At any rate, I appreciate all the two of you have done for my family, including the supplies from Eientei… I feel a little better about sending them out, knowing they have access to much higher quality medicines now.”

“Not a problem.”  She gave her a nod.  “After all, Eientei needs to do its part to help Gensokyo as well.”

“Indeed.”  Her expression became serious.  “At any rate… consider yourself and your companion out there under my protection.  What I can do is limited right now, but… if any try to visit harm upon the two of you, I’ll make sure they always remember that as the moment their life fell to ruin forever.”

Blowing the ash out of the pipe, Reisen grinned.  “Thanks. Just make sure you don’t make Reimu cry; I can tell you right now I’m _real bad_ at doing the whole ‘I’m trying to comfort you, but I totally agree with what she just did’ thing.”

Mima let out a cackle.  “Oooh… those are _always the worst_ -”

The lich suddenly paused as they saw movement outside the door leading to the courtyard.  Wincing in realization at her volume, she held out a hand to the door, keeping it from opening.  She moved over in front of Reisen as the figures outside murmured to one another.

“This is as polite as I can be, Yamaxanadu:”  She called out, keeping the spell active. “I am well aware of my lack of destination.  Becoming an ‘evil spirit’ made it quite clear on my only choice, and I have already been informed of the consequences of what I did to the last yama to speak to me.”

They could more movements from the silhouettes as the two outside whispered to one another.  Komachi and Shiki turned to the door once more. “I have been speaking to your… daughter and niece; they gave me a critique on my methods of helping.”

Mima’s lip curled into a smirk.

“Though you may not wish for my advice, I feel I should still tell you this:  no sentence is forever, and while no sin may be forgotten, nor are good deeds.  What you have been doing to atone _is_ making a difference.  And so long as I persist, _I_ will be willing to pass judgement when it comes your time.”

Noticing how tense she had become, Reisen put a hand on Mima’s shoulder; the lich flinched, but continued to maintain her spell.

“...thank you, Yamaxanadu.”  She whispered.

“You’re welcome.  Give Comman-”

The two could see the scythe spin around, cracking the high judge on the shin; there was a grunt as she paused.

“...give Miss Inaba my apologies as well.  Farewell.”

“F… farewell.”

The outlines of the psychopomps faded as they left, heading towards the courtyard.  Mima ended her spell as she rubbed her temples, keeping her face covered.

“...we’ll get better.”  Reisen whispered, keeping her hand on Mima’s shoulder.  The lich gave a nod in response, not trusting her voice.

 

* * *

 

“Ruukoto, please tell me everything is ready for us to sleep.”  Mima sighed as Reimu stumbled out of the bathroom, leaning against her aunt.  Hourai tried to lean heavily against her opposing shoulder to straighten her back out, but to no avail.  Though the party had died down, there were still plenty of guests on the shrine grounds, all of which would wake up at different times, sometimes reviving the party if too many awoke at once.

“As You Wish: Everything Is Ready, Magister.”  The maid bowed.

“Tell me without lying, please…”

“Everything Is Still Ready, Save For You Being In Your Futon.”  She bowed once more.

“Thank the gods for small favors.  Come on, kids.”

“Good niiiaaah-”  Reimu paused as her mouth went wide with an unexpected yawn.  “Good night, Ruukoto. Sleep well.”

“You As Well, Reimu.  Good Night, Everyone.”

Leaving the bathroom, Marisa held the bedroom door open as the others went inside.  With another incident at a close, the Hakurei Shrine slept the twilight hours away, leaving their worries for another day.


End file.
